Thread guiding apparatus



May 13, 1952 s. w. BARKER THREAD GUIDING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 22, 1947 l I l III Inventor DNEY WARREN ARKER @4 r) Allorney y 1952 s. w. BARKER 2,596,520

THREAD GUIDING APPARATUS Filed July 22, 1947 r 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor SYDNEY WARRE N BARKER Attorney y 3, 1952 s. w. BARKER 2,596,520

THREAD GUIDING APPARATUS Filed July 22, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor SYDNEY WARREN; BARE;

Attorney Patented May 13, 1952 2,596,520 THREAD GUIDING APPARATUS Sydney Warren Barker, Colne, England, assignor to Lustrafil Limited, Nelson, England Application July 22, 1947, Serial No. 762,552 In Great Britain January 4, 1943 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires January 4, 1963 4 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for the continuous production and liquid treatment of threads (within which term, as used in this specification and claims, are included filaments) more particularly of artificial threads.

In the manufacture of artificial threads it is known to pass the thread issuing from the spinneret over a pair of mutually inclined rotating rollers acting together as a thread-storing, thread-advancing device, in which at least one roller is positively driven, and to subject the thread while on the rollers to treatment with liquids such as dilute acid, aqueous formaldehyde and the like for the purpose of assisting coagulation or of hardening the threads. After such treatment it is usual to apply a washing treat ment, e. g., with water. In order that the acid or other treating liquid may be confined to its own portion of the rollers and not reduce the efficiency of the washing treatment in th next portion of the rollers, it has been proposed to separate the successive treating portions or zones of the rollers by complete (i. e. continuous) peripheral flanges. In such an arrangement it is necessary, when starting up, whether initially or after a break in the thread, to lift the thread by hand over the obstructing flange.

Furthermore, during spinning there develops at times a tendency for the spacing between loops of thread on the rollers to widen very slightly beginning at the end of the rollers nearest the spinneret. This widening is usually very small between any two adjacent loops, but the total cumulative effect of such widening over the considerable number of loops to the first flange may be to increase the total distance along the rollers occupied by these loops by an amount equal to the space between one or two loops. Therefore, unless the loops are lifted over the obstruction by hand, a wrapper will form adjacent the flange, causing a break. Accordingly, in order to be practically utilizable at all, such flanges must be so located as to be readily accessible to the operator, a condition often not feasible to meet in modern apparatus of the type here involved. Moreover, the use of such flanges entails extra attention and labor in any event.

Likewise, there is sometimes a tendency for the spacing between loops to narrow, also starting from the end nearest the spinneret. This, however, does not give serious trouble because bunching does not occur even if the loops are not moved back across the flange.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device whereby the thread is enabled to 2 cross the flanges separating the successive treating portions of each roller without having to be lifted over by hand. Other objects will be apparent from the following description.

These objects are achieved by the present invention which consists in the provision of flanges which, instead of extending continuously around the respective rollers, are provided with suitable gaps through which the loops of thread will pass during spinning or when the thread traverse is being started or re-established.

According to the invention the rollers carrying the thread to be treated are provided with one or more flanges, each of which is interrupted by a gap. If desired, the lower roller may be furnished with a gapped flange situated at the end of the acid treatment zone, and the upper roller with a gapped flange some distance farther along.

I prefer to dispose the flanges on each. roller in pairs about an inch apart, with their gaps at opposite sides of the roller.

The gaps are preferably of a width not less than one-sixth of the length of the flange (i. e. of the circumference of the roller), thus subtending an angle of not less than 60 at the axis of the roller at that point,

The gapped flange may be turned out of the solid during the manufacture of the roller, or may be separately made and attached to the roller, or may be in the form of a split ring of springy material sprung on to the roller.

The invention is illustrated more or. less diagrammatically by the accompanying drawingsin which Figs. 1 to 4 are fragmentary views in side elevation of rollers or godets provided with gapped flanges in various desirable forms and arrangements within the invention, in which wherever the path of the thread is indicated, the showing is for an upper roller;

Figs. 5 and 6 are fragmentary views of a pair of rollers illustrating how the thread cross-over from one side of a flange to the other is permitted by the flange gap; and

Fig. '7 shows a portion of another pair of rollers embodying the invention.

In the arrangement illustrated in Figure 1, two gapped flanges I, 2, are provided in spaced relationship on a guide roller 3, the gaps, 4, 5, in these flanges being disposed not immediately opposite each other but in staggered positions for good separation of the treating zones :on the roller.

In the arrangement shown in Figure 2, a single flange, 6, is provided with a gap, 1.

terrupted helical flange.

Fig. '7 shows diagrammatically a portion :ofa 7 pair of thread-storing, thread-advancin rollers l2, l3, in operation. Flange --I4,--:on' the "lower roller, and flange l5, on...the-,upperroller,-.are

shown lying betwen SUCCESSlVBTlQQDSQf thread at,

a time when the loops are not moving longitudinally along the rollers due =to-wideningof the spaces during spinning or due to astartup.

The flanges may be convex :gor .zprismaticizin cross-section, and are preferably Ytchamfered: on both sides or at least on one side sothat the thread may pass smoothly through the gap. In a preferred embodiment of the invention I ;.use tWoi-gappediflangesvor.two pairs; of gapped 1- iflange'syzso situateduonathe rollers that the first rrmarksithe BIIdi'Of that. zone in which acid liquid is appli-e i-to:the:thread,1 and the other lies about .two-thirds :of theidista'nce along the wash-water 2120118. 1; fllheflanges rhaveztheir. ends bevelled, and

gthe radial: anglecbetweeni the centres of the 'gaps :on -thef turo zflangesristabouti180 each gap sub- 7 i tending at: the axis of :the' roller an angle of at least60.

Example i iFilamentsfotv-iscose 1 artificial silk issuing from five-sixteenths of an inchapart. A spray of di- 'lutexa'oidais .applied' to thefirst'20 inches of the I:; lowen: roller and. is revented from extendin walong;the;:roller by a pair of flanges one inch :sapart', each'one-sixteenth of an inch thiclqprojecting one-eighth of an inch above the surface 'ofthei'roller', situated'24 inches fromthe' initial ,fendiofjthe. roller, and each providedwith a four- ;inclrfgap between bevelled ends, the "gaps being initstaggeredrelationship. To the part of the roller beyond this' flang wash-water is supplied.

.'A;third.similar single-flange, situated 14 inches rtfrom'the'second of the pair of flanges buton'the upper roller and with its gap on the side of the erollerropposite"'tO the gap'in the first'flange, serves :.to;:sjeparate ithe' first washing from the .later washingsless contaminated with acid.

-.:On*starting :up. or more particularly during rspinning at tim'es "when "the spacingbetween the loops tends to widen or narrow, the'thread, on

- Y reaching 'eachaflange, remains on' the near side 2015 theflange'until the-"rotation ofthe roller'carriestthe :gapinto a:suitable position, when the thread at'once crosses through 'thegap to'the --furtherside' of the flange. After passing the flanges in this manner-where necessary; the loops 'iof .thread set themselves i'n helices'about'five six- .teenths for; an inch apart throughout thexlength ofithe pairzofrollers, and each gapped .flange'gis -;observedto lie between two successive loops of T- the :thread.

The foregoing-" will be "further "apparentQupon reference to Figs. 5 and 6 in which only theporationof the-rollers adjacent a flange; F on the; top

roller is shown. The thread Ttravels from the '15the" flangeto the other.

j::thre'ad fwill?slip through the gap in the flange spinneret (not shown) on the right toward the left as seen in these views and lies in helical loops along the length of the rollers. Furthermore, the loops to the right of flange F are, in this particu- 5. :larfcase, tending tomove longitudinally toward :-the:left,:-and loop Lon the top roller is shown being held by the flange in an abnormal posii tion. It is readily apparent that if loop L remained permanently to the right of the flange,

10*successiv'e-loops would bunch together forming a rwrappenand causing a break. However, this difli- =;::culty.@is:-overcome by the present invention becauseof thegap provided in the flange, which gg gap p ermits' the' loops to pass from one side of Fig. 6 shows how the *;.r.-When:the;:roller has rotated enough to bring the gflllinto proper'position. After a further 180 rotation of the roller, loop L will pass through the flange and can move into its normal position the left of the flange.

i In thefforegoing example the gapped flanges arecircular ahd placed at right angles to the axis ofthe ro'ller' towhich they are fitted' The invention-is notlimited,however, to circular'fl-anges so disposed "If-desired the flanges may be heliq'ca'l so as to fit- OnftO the roller obliquely; in such cases' 'they should-preferably not exceed in pitch 1 'the natural spacing of the loopsof thread asthe thread advancesalong' the pair of rollers.

Numerous methods 'ofwrapping the thread'on 'the rollers may be usedin connection with the mpresent invention. For example, one way this "has been done is-to wind an'auxiliary threadiby handxin loops-around -"the pair of rollers while 1 these .are stationary, in approximately the path to bBffOllOWfid-bY the freshly spun thread. The jjtra'iling. 'end'i offthe auxiliary thread is then 7 ati.ta ch'ed.to-"the new thread, 'and'at the same time 5 the rotation oft-the rollers is begun. The new ithreadisithus' drawn over the rollers bythe aux- :iliary; thread. ii ln a'pparatushaving continuous "peripheral flanges; the loops were prevented, once the-approximate: traverse had been established, "from. adjustingthemselves longitudinally along 0 the. rollersby lthe flanges as previously explained; but by meansj-ot appl-icants invention, the loops cross Ithe interrupted? flanges, where necessary, "throughthe gapsas describedabove. a v v:It WillLbe apparent that although my invention F -finds its'main'application'irr'the manufacture and r treatmentiof artificial threads, it is also of use when'for any reason itisdesired totreat any v .tkind or thread with two or more different liquids 5 successivezcnes'of: the'jtraverse of. the thread along a pa rof mutually inclined rollers.

f I'cl'aim:

1.--:Apparatus-' 'for' the continuous production -andtreatment:of-thiead comprising a pair of mut-pally inclined;rotati,ng rollers acting together as a "thread-storingfl thread-advancing device ''along which the thread traverses inv a succession -fof neuter loops. at spaced intervals, wherein at least-oneor the rollersis provided with at least 0ne peripheral flan e separating adjacent treat- =-=m ent zonesyea-chv flange lbjeinglinterrupted for. a distance of notlessithanoneesixth'of itslength by a gap to provide a'jcrioss-ovenfor the-thread. l 2; Apparatus'iasfclaimedlin .claimf 1, in which at-least one 'roller.-lis.. provided with twoperipheral flangesjeach. interruptedgby such atg'ap', the "'"gap's beingin staggeredrelation toprieanother.

..3...Apparatussas,claimediin claim I; inlwhich eabh-suchfiange has. chamfered'edges and ends. 4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which at least one such flange is in the form of an in- REFERENCES CITED The foilewing references are of record in the file of this patent:

Fumber 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Furness Dec. 4, 1934 Lovett, Nov. 15, 1938 Walters Jan. 31, 1939 Moritz Apr. 18, 1939 Helm July 11, 1939 Uytenboga-art Sept. 2, 1941 

